Women put on weight after marriage, men gain after divorce: researchers

A change in marital status can cause significant weight gains in people, but it’s different for women than for men, a new study indicates.

Researchers from Ohio State University have produced research that show women are more likely to see large weight gains after getting married, while men have a tendency to pack on the pounds following a divorce.

The study is being presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas.

“Clearly, the effect of marital transitions on weight changes differs by gender,” said Dmitry Tumin, lead author of the study and doctoral student of sociology. “Divorces for men and, to some extent, marriages for women promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk.”

This was based on an analysis of more than 10,000 people surveyed between 1986 and 2008, looking specifically at weight changes in the two years following a marriage or divorce.

It was found that large weight gains — a change in body mass index that would be 21 pounds or more for a person five-foot-10 — were more likely among people older than 30.

The researchers said their study did not determine why men tend to gain weight after divorce and women after getting married, but they offered some possibilities.

“Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women,” said sociology professor Zhenchao Qian, co-author of the study.

“On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain.”

For both women and men, it was suggested that weight gain after a marriage begins or ends can be related to the sudden “shock” it causes to one’s lifestyle.

“As you get older, having a sudden change in your life like a marriage or a divorce is a bigger shock than it would have been when you were younger, and that can really impact your weight,” Tumin said.